The Aftermath is secondary
by GoldenHarlequin
Summary: Oliver has to face for the first time a mysterious and powerful organization named the "Midnight League". Fortunately for him he can count on his new allies. But he didn't expect old enemies to show up and threaten his plans...


**Hi everybody!**

**I would like to say something to you before you enjoy - I hope - this chapter.**

**There are some changes in this story in comparison to the series:**

**-the event of the last episode NEVER happened.**

**-Laurel is Black Canary and so has powers**

**-There are three Ocs. The rest doesn't belong to me but to Dc comics**

**There are other changes but I let you discover them as the story goes on (otherwise I will spoil the fun) ;)**

**About the title's chapter: It's a latin expression. It is used about a person whose presence allows to solve a desperate situation.**

**About the writting: English is not my mothertongue (I'm French), so there may be mistakes. It would be very kind of you if you could, please, inform me if there are some in order to make the reading pleasant to you. I wanted to try writting in English because I love this language and I wanted to share this story with a lot of person.**

**Thank you for your understanding and your attention. Both positive and negative criticisms are welcome, but for the latter, please, don't be rude.**

**Enjoy and see you soon! :)**

* * *

Chapter 1 : Deus ex machina

He was starring at the ceiling. He was here for what it seems like centuries. For so long that he's lost the notion of time. Before he was _someone_, he ruled over a wide criminal web. Now his empire was reduced to a ridiculous room. If that damned archer had not caught him it would never have happened.

The archer. He has never stopped feeling bitter toward him since he arrived here. Suddenly he heard steps. They were heading his cell. Weird. The interview with the psy, maybe? The noise stopped and the prison guard drew the keys from his pocket. The detainee noticed that he has never seen him before. The door opened.

"Follow me". He didn't move, surprised. "You have a visitor". A visitor? It was impossible; he has nobody who could wish hearing from him. However he followed him and opened his mouth to speak when he heard hasty footstep before them down the hall. Several guardians came running.

"Hey, you! Freeze! Don't move! », shouted one of them. From that time the prisoner understood that there was something wrong. He got the answer when the man next to him drew a gun and shot dead the two guardians. The gunman grabbed him firmly and started running, dragging him away. The walls echoed with the screams of the guardians, the shots and the prisoners' yelling. The false guardian drew a black device from his pocket and pressed the button. Soon the bell announcing the opening of the cells' gates rang. And then it was chaos. A stream of detainees poured, swamping the prison guardians who were trying to make them go back to their cells while dodging punches and kicks. The escaped prisoner and his liberator keep running, having the way clear. They came upstairs and finished on the roof. The criminal was thunderstruck when he saw the helicopter.

"You never do things by halves, do you? Who the hell are you?

-Get in. Later the questions."

He complied and took on board. He was a little worried about the men posted on the towers but it vanished when he saw as they were flying away, that they all had a bullet in their chest.

He wondered if these people were truly his liberators or the exact contrary.

* * *

The car stopped near the prison. The detective Lance went out of the car and walked over to one of the policemen who were already here.

"What do we got?

-Somebody got into the prison after stealing an employee's uniform. He freed a prisoner and killed two prison guardians who tried to stop them. Then he unlocked the detainees' cells and took advantage of the chaos it created to go on the roof where a helicopter was waiting for them. We have six people dead and others are hurt, with different states of gravity. One is between life and death".

The detective remained silent for a moment.

"Who was the prisoner?", he asked at last.

"We don't know yet but that's a matter of time.

-What about the cameras? Do we have something? Pictures we can exploit?

-We are working on it but the task won't be easy with all of these prisoners. In addition the criminals were wearing masks made out of what it looks like a kind of black glass."

Quentin Lance sighed in frustration.

"You still have other delightful news to share?", he enquired not without a touch of aggressiveness. The man he was speaking to remained shortly sheepish before holding out a piece of paper as big as a playing card.

"We found this".

The detective slipped gloves on and took it. The card was night blue, adorned with a silver clock on its middle. The hands indicated midnight.

"The Midnight League, I should have known", he muttered.

For months, crimes soared and most of the time they were connected to this mysterious organization. But unfortunately the police have been unsuccessful in putting under arrest its main members and the only thing they know was that its boss was called the "Leviathan". Concerning the criminals who had a connection with it in some way or another, they were totally useless, because they were so scared that many of them committed suicide, especially by biting capsules of cyanide. Thus the policemen get used to check all the criminals' teeth, like they haven't other fish to fry. It seemed to be even beyond the green vigilante.

* * *

Oliver hit the table with anger. As Green Arrow he put an end to a hold-up and a hostage-taking in Starling City, in the Glades, to only learn later that the leader of the biggest drug cartel escaped from prison moments ago with the help of the Midnight League, which far from denying its involvement, left its card. Obviously the hold-up was a diversion. How could he have been such a fool?

"That's not your fault, Oliver. You couldn't know", said John Diggle.

Oliver looked at him. The former soldier was a tall dark skinned man with quite imposing muscles. Moïra Queen, had hired him to be her son's bodyguard. Deceiving him at the beginning-like all his former bodyguards- especially by taking the French leave to don his vigilante's outfit in order to hunt criminals across the city, Oliver had finally revealed his secret identity and from that time they had worked together.

"Hundred of people depend on me! My duty is to protect them, to heal this city from crime which kills it slowly! How could I manage to do that if I'm not able to?" he exclaimed, pacing up and down. He stopped and went on, breathing shortly :

"The criminal rate is skyrocketing for more than four months, and here I am, as powerless as the police!"

He covered his face with his hands.

"Err…may I say something?"

-Yes Felicity?

-Maybe…" she began nervously, "you should not handle this alone…I mean we don't even know how many they are…the other are surely busy themselves, but…you know, together you could create a kind of league too, to kick the bad guys' bottoms", she said, rising her fists like the boxers.

"She's right, Oliver. You need help", Diggle said.

He didn't answer immediately and stated after meditation:

"I am going to give them a call and make an appointment with them. But for now…what about crossing out a name from that list?"

* * *

She went to the Verdant, Oliver's club. This break was very welcome in her lawyer's busy schedule and it has been a long time she hasn't heard from him. She found him sitting to the bar.

"Hi", she said while entering.

"Hi", he answered back with a smile.

"It's been a long time since we last talked, so…how are you?

"Fine, thanks. And the club comes up roses, so there are definitely no problems. What about you?"

His smile faded when he saw her look.

"What?", he asked

"Ollie, you're not forced to pretend everything is alright and put that fake smile on your face. I know you enough to know that's not true."

He looked away and remained silent.

"You know…I miss him too", she confided with sorrow. "I thought after mourning my sister I would be stronger…but it devastated me the same. We…we were lovers and he was your best friend."

Again, he didn't answer but looked around and finally broke the silence.

"This place would never be the same without him. It was not my club, but _our_ club. He…he has always been here for me, and the only day he needs me I fail him". Laurel saw his eyes shining with tears. Tears of sorrow, anger and bitterness.

"No. No. I do not allow you to say that", she retorted, taking his face in her hands and gently forcing him to look at her. "You did everything possible to neutralize this Black Archer.

-I should have been stronger."

This memory haunted him, like the ones he brought back from the island on which he had been stuck after his boat's wreck more than five years ago. He still reminded it with every detail. This night was the final battle between the Black Archer and the vigilante. Both knew that: one of them would not see the other dawn to come. Thus they fought. A harsh, exhausting fight. He got hurt by an arrow. He tried to take back the advantage but the wound made him suffer with every move. His enemy readied himself to hurt him again, deadly this time, when Tommy popped out of nowhere. _Deus ex machina_ some would say. He had thrown himself at Oliver in order to protect him. The vigilante saw him again, lying on the floor, an arrow stuck in his side and a crimson rose blooming on his white shirt. He will forever remember Malcom Merlyn's heartbreaking scream. Pushing violently aside the Queen son who called emergency aid, he kneeled to his child's side, begging him to stay alive. But Tommy died in his arms, and his father, wrecked, had to forsake him because he would have been put under arrest if somebody would have seen him in his black outfit. Then he seeked the archer's destruction for he was according to him the one to be blamed for Tommy's death. Oliver broke the promise he made to his friend when the latter was dying.

"Spare my father's life"

The young woman's voice brought him back to earth.

"You have to go through a period of mourning, as painful as it may be. He would not like to see you, to see _us _consumed by sorrow. We have to not forget him, but we have to stand again, to become stronger for him. For Tommy. That's what he would have wanted. He would have wanted that you keep on protecting people, keep on risking your life for them like he gave you his. He knew you would have done the same for him", she said with a comforting tone.

"Thank you, Laurel". She looked at him, surprised. "Thank you to be yourself, to be here".

She smiled to him and they hugged each other. Then they stepped back.

"Did you get my message about tonight appointment?

-Yes. I will be there. It's high time we were done with this League. People are terrified.

-That's why I called you for help. Will Rivka be with you?

-Yes.

-Good".

He contemplated her. He has never seen such a beautiful woman nor a soul kinder than Laurel Lance's.

"I have to go. My break ends soon.

-Okay, see you tonight then.

-See you tonight".

She walked away, but stopped suddenly and went back to him. She got close to Oliver and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"See you tonight".

She left, without doing an about-turn and he followed her with his eyes. Her presence had a little relieved the archer's heavy heart.

* * *

He looked across the room which was at the basement of the Verdant. Everybody was here: Diggle, Felicity, Black Canary, Whisper and the Huntress.

"Thank you everyone for coming", he began, "as you probably know, for months the Midnight League has multiplied crimes and has become day after day more and more powerful in the criminal world. Exactly because a lot of criminals are linked to this League, we have no choice but to fight it together. We know very little about it, but thanks to Felicity", he pointed to the woman with a blonde ponytail and who wore glasses on, "we already know a potential member of the League since he was freed by this organization. To defeat our enemy we have to know him better…

-You are suggesting that one of us become a mole", the Huntress finished.

"Exactly". Whispers followed this statement.

"And you thought about someone in particular?", Black canary inquired.

"I'll do it", Helena Bertinelli interfered, "my father lead a criminal network, I'm used to this kind of world.

-No, Huntress", Oliver said, "forgive me, but you're too unstable. We need someone who is able to keep a cool head." She looked at him, outraged.

"So what? You're about to choose the canary?", the dark haired and blue eyed woman retorted.

"No. Even if she does not use her sonic scream, she might unintentionally trigger it. They will recognize her right away. No, I thought about Rivka". They were dumbfounded, Rivka in particular. The Huntress was the first to react.

"What? You must be joking Oliver! She's the less experimented among us!

-And so she's among us the one who is the most unknown by the criminals".

He turned to the vigilante with coppery hair.

"Her discretion is a significant advantage, and she's not as dispossessed of talent as you seem to think". He continued before she cut him short: "Felicity is my eyes and I need Diggle by my side. I can't do it myself because it won't take them long to realize I'm the green vigilante, even if I wear a different outfit, and Black Canary and you are out. So Whisper is our only option.

-I will do it", said the latter, "I'm aware of how dangerous it is, but it's not only our safety that is at stake. If it can stop the Midnight League and protect Starling City's inhabitants, then I will do it.

-Of course we are not going to let you face them without preparation: Black Canary trained you; you'll have to continue this training. Diggle and I will also teach you some techniques, but mine will be limited: I can't take the risk that they recognize my way of fighting and kill you after making the connection between you and I. You will have also to choose a new outfit and change your appearance.

-Understood.

-Fine. Thank you, Whisper.

Diggle, Laurel, Oliver and Rivka organized the trainings and after that they started to disperse. Helena was the first to leave.

"I would have been able to make it", she said with a little touch of reproach while passing near Oliver. He did not answer. Then Rivka left, promising to give her best to not fail, followed by Felicity Smoak.

"I'll wait outside", Diggle declared. The former soldier understood that Laurel wished to talk alone with the vigilante who saw her disapproving look when he pronounced Rivka's name, though she remained silent. Moreover it didn't take her a long time to react when the door closed.

"How can you do this to me? She's under my protection! She's someone dear to me!

-I know that the risks are high but we have no other choice. We will give her all the preparation she needs. I won't do the same mistake twice, trust me.

-You know that if she happens to die I will never forgive you?

-It won't happen. I promise you.

-You'd better."

She walked away, furiously hitting the ground.

"Judging from the way she left you, I would say that it didn't go well", Diggle dropped while his friend exited the room.

"It could have been worse".

* * *

He hit the ground violently as they forced him to kneel. One of the men who were surrounding him removed the hood they put on his head shortly after they took on board to prevent him knowing where their headquarters were located. Suddenly exposed to the light – though it was artificial light – his eyes burned and he protected them whit his tied hands, the time they become used to it. When he put his hands down he saw a man standing right in front of him. He was tall, slim, and wore an elegant black suit. His sheet and the handkerchief of his pocket on his chest were night blue. But what struck him was his helmet. Made of a black material and ornated with blue lines, its design reminded of the one we could see in sci-fi movies. A part of it was made of black glass and completely hid his features.

"Hi, Count Vertigo. I am the Leviathan, the Midnight League's boss. Welcome to your new family".


End file.
